Shania Twain kicked off Monday's show at Talking Stick Resort
Arena with a musical promise that life was about to get good after making
her entrance from the back
of the arena.

And by the time she brought the Phoenix Suns Gorilla out to join
her after soaring high above the crowd on a swing made to look like an open
guitar case on her biggest hit, "You're Still the One," she'd definitely
gone the extra mile to make good on that promise.

The music

The set list touched on nearly all the singles that continue to
define her as the biggest-selling female artist in the history of country music,
from the song that sent her on her way, "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?"
to "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," which she wisely held off for the one-song
encore.

There was even a video montage of hits she didn't get to,
including "The Woman in Me" "You Win My Love" and "Don't."

She also shared several songs from last year's "Now," her first
release in 15 years, in the course of a nearly two-hour performance that offset
Vegas glitz and hi-tech spectacle with bittersweet emotion.

It's been nearly three years since the singer said her last
goodbyes on a farewell tour that clearly didn't stick and she made several
references at Monday's show that seemed to indicate that this could be the real
goodbye.

Shania Now

She also talked about her music a the "upside to experiencing
difficult things" in her life.

"I get to put all of that into music," she said. "I've often not
shared a lot of that music with you guys in past years, but on this current
album, I decided that it was much more therapeutic not only just for me but for
everybody out there to understand that, you know, when you do have a low, you're
not the only one, you're not alone and you can get through it."

This was all by way of introducing "Poor Me," a song from "Now"
that Twain said has become her favorite "pity-party song that I've ever
written," reminding her fans "You're allowed to be down every once in a
while."

Despite the therapeutic nature of the new material, inspired by
the breakdown of her marriage to Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the man who
produced all her hits, and the medical issues that damaged her vocal cords and
demanded a lengthy hiatus, she never went too deep into the pity
party.

The prevailing mood was much closer in spirit to the chorus of
another song on "Now": "More fun is what we need."

That's the song she performed after sharing the stage with the
Phoenix Suns Gorilla.

The stage show

The stage show was state of the art, from the flying guitar case
to the use of large video cubes, which dominated the stage and were constantly
reconfigured as she moved from song to song, providing an ever-changing backdrop
for the "wild and crazy" night the singer promised after "Come On Over."

At times, the cubes all came together as one massive screen with
Twain, her backing musicians or her dancing backup singers performing on
top.

There were plenty of costume changes, from the shimmering gown
with a mile-high slit that she wore on the opening song to the top hat and
coat from the "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" video.

And when Twain disappeared through a trap door after the "sexy
grooving music," as she called it, of "Let's Kiss and Make Up," the spotlight
shifted to drummer Elijah Wood, who managed to earn the most enthusiastic
reaction I've seen to a drum solo since Rush's final tour.

She invited a mother and daughter on stage to talk about what
brought them to the show together in one of the concert's sweetest moments.

Bastian Baker, who opened the set with a solo acoustic
performance, returned to the stage to join the star on "Party for Two" and
"Swingin' With My Eyes Closed" before Twain brought the set to a crowd-pleasing
climax with "(If You're Not in Love) I'm Outta Here!"

And with that, she was outta there, returning for a one-song
encore that ended in a shower of confetti.

Set list

"Life's About To Get Good""Come on Over""Up!""Poor
Me""Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)""That Don't Impress Me
Much""Let's Kiss and Make Up""Drum Solo""Any Man of Mine""Whose
Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?""Honey, I'm Home""I'm
Alright""Soldier""You're Still the One""More Fun""From This
Moment On""I'm Gonna Getcha Good!""Party for Two (with Bastian
Baker)""Swingin' With My Eyes Closed (with Bastian Baker)""(If You're
Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!"